This week's events-Tri-Lakes

HOT SPRINGS — The deadline is Monday to apply for the Hot Springs Police Department’s next Citizens Police Academy, which will begin April 11. Participants will meet with SWAT team members and detectives to learn about patrol functions, department structure and search and seizure, and to ride along with an officer. Class members will meet in the Police Department’s large classroom from 6-9 p.m. Thursdays for eight weeks. The class is free. Each applicant is subject to a thorough background check. Applications may be picked up at the department or printed at www.hotspringspolice.com.

Act, Speak, Build Week Kickoff

BRYANT — Habitat for Humanity’s Youth United and other Saline County youth will participate in Habitat’s Annual Act, Speak, Build Week, a week-long youth program designed to raise awareness of poverty housing in Saline County. The event will kick off with Chick-fil-A Night from 5-8 Monday at the Chick-fil-A in Bryant. The restaurant will donate a portion of each sales receipt to the 2014 Youth Build. Participants need to inform the cashier that they are with Habitat for Humanity. For more information, email amy@habitatsalinecountyar.org.

Monday Afternoon Book Club

BRYANT — The Monday Afternoon Book Club will meet at 1 p.m. at the Mabel Boswell Memorial Library to discuss the club’s chosen title. The group is open to adults 18 and older. For more information, call (501) 847-2166.

Monday With the Master Gardeners

BENTON — The Saline County Master Gardeners and presenter Janet Carson will discuss horticulture at 6:30 p.m. at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library. The program is open to all ages. For more information, call (501) 778-4766.

Guest Pianist Performance

ARKADELPHIA — Henderson State University’s music department will host a performance by renowned Canadian pianist Paul Berkowitz at 7:30 p.m. in the Russell Fine Arts Building Recital Hall, 604 N. 12th St. Berkowitz concentrates his efforts on the quintessential Romantic piano literature written by Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. Berkowitz has recorded works by these composers on Meridian Records. The free concert is open to the public.

April 2

Aerospace Training Information Meeting

HOT SPRINGS — National Park Community College will host a free information session at 6 p.m. for those considering a career in aerospace. The session will be held in the NPCC aerospace lab on the south side of the campus. For more information or to register, contact Vickie Harrison at vharrison@npcc.edu, or call (501) 760-4135.

April 2 –April 19

Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition

BENTON — A representation of the creative efforts of Arkansas artists in kindergarten through the 12th grade will be on display Tuesday through April 19 at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library. Local artists included in the exhibit are Elaine Qualls of Bryant Elementary School and Levyn Lewis of Bryant Middle School. The works are award winners from the 51st annual Young Arkansas Artists Competition and Exhibition conducted at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock and organized in coordination with the Arkansas Department of Education. The display is open to the public during normal library hours. For more information, call (501) 778-4766.

April 4

Community Meeting

HOT SPRINGS — City Director Karen Garcia will host a District 5 community meeting at 4 p.m. at the Forest Lakes Clubhouse, 305 Forest Lakes Blvd. Residents are encouraged to attend and bring a neighbor. The guest speaker will be Sister City Program Coordinator Mary Neilson. For more information, call (501) 318-9046 or email kgarcia@cablelynx.com.

Theater Time Thursday

BRYANT — A movie selected for ages 12 and younger will be shown at 4 p.m. at the Mabel Boswell Memorial Library. For more information, call (501) 847-2166.

Watercolor Class

BENTON — Instructor Carolyn Voss will teach a free watercolor class for adults 18 and older at 6 p.m. at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library. The theme is “Country Lanes.” Space is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call (501) 847-2166 or (501) 778-4766.

General Manager Coffee

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — A Property Owners’ Association General Manager Coffee will be held at 3 p.m. at the Coronado Community Center. Developed to provide a public forum for residents and property owners to talk directly with the general manager, the coffees allow discussion of any topic relevant to Hot Springs Village life. For more information, call (501) 922-5530.

Genealogy Society Meeting

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — The Hot Springs Village Genealogy Society will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 6 of the Coronado Community Center. Guest speaker Nancy Holder will present a program titled Finding Personalities and Answers to Family Mysteries in Old Letters and Journals. Holder, an active member of the Village Genealogy Club and the Village Writer’s Club, and a native Midwesterner, will show how reading old letters and diaries can elicit emotions in the writer and get to the real story that connects with the facts. For more information, call (501) 922-6965.

All Majors Job Fair

HOT SPRINGS — The annual National Park Community College All Majors Job Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fisher Campus Center. The free event is open to the public. Attendees will have an opportunity to meet employers who are hiring; obtain career information; establish contacts through networking; and identify career, summer, temporary and internship opportunities. NPCC is partnering with the Arkansas Workforce Center and expects approximately 40 employers at the event. Interested job seekers are asked to bring copies of their resume, dress professionally and be prepared to interview with employers. For more information, contact Mary Kay Wurm at mwurm@npcc.edu or (501) 760-4246.

April 5

Fish and Chicken Dinner

MALVERN — St. Paul United Methodist Church in Malvern at East Mill and Cherry Lane will have a fish and chicken dinner from 4-7 p.m. The dinners, which include a drink and homemade banana pudding, will be $11 for four pieces, $9 for two pieces and $5 for children 12 and younger. To place a carryout order, call (501) 337-7364.

Gallery Exhibit, Meet-and-Greet

HOT SPRINGS — Millie Steveken and Cynthia Schanink, award-winning artists, will be featured during April at The Artists Workshop Gallery, 810 Central Ave. The artists will be available for a meet-and-greet during the Gallery Walk, from 5-9 p.m. Friday.

Art Show and Reception

HOT SPRINGS — Three local artists will display their fine-art paintings at the Mountain Valley Spring Water Co., 150 Central Ave. in Hot Springs National Park, through April. An artists’ reception will be held Friday during the Gallery Walk, 5-9 p.m. Local artists include Sylvia Laurens Boles, an illustrator of books; Christine Lippert, a local high school chemistry teacher and a member of Brush Strokes; and Marlys Brewer, a student of Sylvia Laurens Boles.

April 5 and April 6

Sleep-Out and Pancake Breakfast

BENTON — Habitat for Humanity of Saline County will bring Habitat’s Annual Act, Speak, Build Week to a close with a sleep-out to raise awareness of poverty housing from 6 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday on the Saline County Courthouse lawn. The early registration fee is $15. All participants must attach the entry fee to a completed registration form. Registration the day of the event will be $20. The sleep-out will conclude with a pancake breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the Habitat offices, the ReStore, or from Youth United or board members. For more information about both events, visit habitatsalinecountyar.org.

April 6

Plant Sale

BENTON — The Saline County Master Gardeners will hold a plant sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the old armory building at the Saline County Fairgrounds. The group expects to present 2,000 plants, and the sale is the group’s largest fundraiser for two scholarships that are awarded each year. There is no charge for admission or parking. For more information, contact Judy at (501) 315-6306 or blackwelltj@sbcglobal.net.

Elvis Tribute Performance

BENTON — A musical tribute to Elvis Presley will be held at 7 p.m. in Benton High School’s Butler Auditorium. International award-winning Elvis tribute artist Tony Witt will be joined by tribute band Fever. A portion of the proceeds from the show will go to the Benton High School Music Department, the Royal Players and the Saline County Arts Project. Advance general-admission tickets are $20 each at area Big Red Stores in Benton, Bryant and Otter Creek; and at Island Hoppers Tanning and Day Spa in Bryant. Tickets can be purchased online at www.tonywitt.com or by calling KingSized Entertainment at (501) 952-6005. Tickets the day of the show will be $25.

Ongoing

Health Walks in the Gardens

HOT SPRINGS — Two of Garvan Woodland Gardens’ most avid walkers lead guided health walks in the gardens once a week. Anthony Chapel singer Sharon Turrentine leads a three-mile walk at 9 a.m. every Monday. Garvan Woodland Gardens staffer Paula Wallace leads a one-mile walk at 9 a.m. every Tuesday. Walkers are invited to meet at the Welcome Center to join the groups. Wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy walking shoes. No reservations are necessary. The guided walks are free to members, while regular gardens admission applies for nonmembers.

Head Start Survey, Applications

CLARK/HOT SPRING COUNTY — Central Arkansas Development Council Head Start centers in Clark County are conducting a target-area survey. Staff will conduct the survey to determine the number of preschool children who may be eligible for the Head Start program in Clark County. To participate, contact the local Head Start office. The Clark County and Hot Spring County programs are accepting early enrollment applications for the fall 2013 school year. In Amity, call (870) 342-5358; in Arkadelphia, call (870) 246-8931; in Gurdon, call (870) 353-6616; in Malvern, call (501) 337-1502; in Bismarck, call (501) 865-1882; and in Magnet Cove, call (501) 332-6906.

Student Art Show

ARKADELPHIA — The Southwest Region V Student Art Show will be at the Arkadelphia Arts Center through Saturday. The exhibit features colorful and creative art from kindergartners through 12th-graders from 10 school districts in the southwest region of Arkansas and is sponsored by the Southwestern Division of the Arkansas Art Educators. Operated by the nonprofit Clark County Arts and Humanities Council, the center is open to the public at no charge. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, call (870) 245-3612.

Junior Volunteer Program

HOT SPRINGS — National Park Medical Center is accepting applications for the 2013 Junior Volunteer Summer Service Program, to be held June 10 through Aug. 9. The program teaches teens ages 14 to 18 about the health care industry through observation of various hospital departments. Participants will volunteer four to 32 hours per week at the hospital during the program. May 15 is the deadline to submit complete applications, including an information sheet, two letters of recommendation and a guardian-signed TB-skin-test release form. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by June 1. For more information, call (501) 620-2705 or email mandy.golleher@npmchs.com. Applications are available online at www.nationalparkmedical.com.

AARP Tax Help

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — AARP Foundation Tax Aide volunteers are available from noon to 5 p.m. every Wednesday through April 10 at the Coronado Community Center. The program is free to taxpayers with low and moderate incomes, with special attention to those 60 and older. The service is offered in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service. For more information, call the Coronado Community Center office at (501) 922-5050.

Free Tax Preparation

The Central Arkansas Development Council is offering free tax-preparation assistance in Saline, Hot Spring and Clark counties. In Clark County, services will be at the Huie Library at Henderson State University, 1100 Henderson St. in Arkadelphia. For an appointment, call (870) 867-0151. In Hot Spring County, services will be at the Malvern/Hot Spring County Library, 202 E. Third St. in Malvern. For an appointment, call (501) 332-5441. In Saline County, services will be at the CADC Senior Activity Center, 210 Jefferson in Benton. The site is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, and walk-ins are accepted. Services will be offered by appointment only at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library, 1800 Smithers Drive in Benton; call (501) 778-1133.

AARP Tax-Aide Service

BENTON — Free preparation of tax returns, including free E-filing, will be offered for people of all ages from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays at an AARP Tax-Aide site at Midtowne Church, 4037 Boone Road in Benton. AARP Tax-Aide is the nation’s largest, free, volunteer-run tax counseling and preparation service. The site will provide continuing tax services to taxpayers who have attended the Park Place Baptist site in the past. Walk-ins are welcome but will be served after those with appointments. To schedule an appointment, call Larry at (501) 303-6829.

Upcoming

Mini Holocaust Museum

MALVERN — Pre-AP students from Malvern Middle School will open the first annual mini Holocaust Museum at 3 p.m. April 7 at the school. For the past four months, the students have read novels, studied primary source documents, viewed documentaries of Holocaust survivors and studied the choices made by others so many years ago. The museum is a cross-curricular project among English, EAST and art classes.

Benton Book Club

BENTON — The Benton Book Club will meet at 5:30 p.m. April 8 at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library to discuss the club’s chosen title. The group is open to adults 18 and older. For more information, call (501) 778-4766.

Tuesday With the Master Gardeners

BRYANT — The Saline County Master Gardeners and presenter Ellis James will discuss “Soil and Nutrients” at 6:30 p.m. April 9 at the Mabel Boswell Memorial Library. The program is open to all ages. For more information, call (501) 778-4766 or (501) 847-2166.

Lincoln Day Dinner

ARKADELPHIA — The annual Clark County Lincoln Day Dinner will be held April 9 in Ouachita Baptist University’s Walker Conference Center. Rex Nelson, a native of Arkadelphia, an OBU graduate, current president of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and a columnist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, will be the keynote speaker. The event will start with a reception at 5:30 p.m. in the Walker Center Lobby, followed by a three-course dinner at 6:30. Tickets are $35 for individuals or $200 for a table of six. College students may attend for $20. No tickets will be sold at the door. To purchase tickets or for more information, call Cabe Land and Timber at (870) 353-2063 or email cabeland@iocc.com.

Business Expo

BENTON — The Benton Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2013 Cajun Feast and Business Expo will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 11 at First United Methodist Church. Nine professionally repapered and draped 10-by-10-foot booths are available for $100 each. A sign with the company’s name, one table and two chairs will be provided. Dedicated electricity cannot be guaranteed. Vendors will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Approximately 700 people attended last year’s Cajun feast. For more information, call (501) 860-7004.

The Servant of Two Masters

ARKADELPHIA — The Henderson State University Theatre will present seven performances of Carlo Goldoni’s The Servant of Two Masters, translated and adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher and Paolo Emilio Landi, at 7:30 p.m. April 11-13, 15 and 18-20. A reception will follow the opening-night performance. The HSU Theatre Box Office in Arkansas Hall will be open for advance ticket sales from 1-4 p.m. beginning April 8. All seats are reserved. Admission is $8, or free with an HSU student ID. For more information or to make reservations, call (870) 230-5291, or email theatre@hsu.edu.

Softball Tournament

MALVERN — The Malvern Area Kiwanis will hold the first Battle of the Co-Eds Softball Tournament on April 13 at the Malvern Boys and Girls Club, 1840 W. Moline. The tournament will begin at 9 a.m., depending on how many teams sign up. Proceeds will benefit the children of Hot Spring County. For more information, call Traci at (501) 813-2607 or visit www.arsoftball.com.

Library Birthday Celebration

MALVERN — The Hot Spring County Historical Society will celebrate the Mid-Arkansas Regional Library’s 85th year of service with a birthday dinner from 6:30-8:30 p.m. April 13 at the Malvern Country Club. For more information, call Kinney Black at (501) 337-0796.

GriefShare

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — GriefShare, a recovery support program offered at Village Bible Church, will begin April 16. The group is designed to help participants grow and heal after a loss, and the class will meet from 9-11 a.m. Tuesdays through May 21. To register for the class, call Bob Cobb at (501) 915-9119 or Carl Wetzel at (501) 922-5936.

Declaration Amendments Meeting

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — The Property Owners’ Association will hold a town-hall meeting at 3 p.m. April 18 in the Coronado Community Center Auditorium to outline the amendments to the Hot Springs Village Declaration, as well as the proposed administrative fines. All members are invited to attend this event. For more information, call (501) 922-5530.

Spring Plant Sale

MALVERN — The Hot Spring County Master Gardeners will have a spring plant sale from 8:30 a.m. to noon April 20 at the Hot Spring County Fairgrounds Building on MLK Boulevard in Malvern. There will be a variety of locally grown flowers, vegetables, shrubs and more. For more information, call (501) 332-5267.

Merry Mixers Dance

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — The Hot Springs Village Merry Mixers will hold a dance featuring music from the Fab 3 on April 20 at the Coronado Community Center. The event will include a dance lesson at 7 p.m., followed by dancing at 7:30. The Merry Mixers dance to live music on the first and third Saturdays of the month except during the summer. First-Saturday admission is $7.50, and third-Saturday admission is $10. For more information, call (501) 915-8111.

Band Concert

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — The Hot Springs Concert Band will present its annual spring concert at 3 p.m. April 21 in the Woodlands Auditorium. The concert is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Hot Springs Village, which will provide a complimentary ice-cream sundae to each attendee, as well as conduct a silent auction, starting at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased from any member of the Hot Springs Concert Band or the Kiwanis Club; at the Woodlands office from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays; or online at www.hsvwoodlands.com. Remaining tickets will be available at the box office prior to the show.

Flea Market

BENTON — The youth of First Lutheran Church in Benton will present their second annual flea market from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 27. The group is seeking vendors. Each 8-by-14-foot site costs $10, and more than one site may be reserved. All proceeds from the sale are kept by the vendor. For more information, call Cindy at (501) 844-4275.

Rotary Trip to Kansas City

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — The Hot Springs Village Rotary Club will offer a trip Oct. 3-6 to Kansas City, Mo. Accompanied by trip hosts, travelers will visit the U.S. Federal Reserve Money Museum, the Arabia Riverboat Exhibit, the American Jazz Museum and more. The return trip will include a stop at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. The all-inclusive price of the trip, $620 per person, includes a tax-deductible contribution to the charitable activities of the HSV Rotary Charity Corp. For more information or to reserve a seat, contact Tony Cifelli at (501) 915-8238, Terry Young at (501) 915-8912, or Paul and Lynda Bridges at (501) 922-6798.

To submit a school or community event for the Tri-Lakes Calendar of Events, mail information to Calendar of Events, Tri-Lakes Edition, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR, 72203; fax to (501) 378-3500; or email to tlnews@arkansasonline.com. Deadlines for calendar-item submissions are noon Friday for Thursday editions and noon Tuesday for Sunday editions.